Platform sole



Aug. 5, I346. F, s MEES 2,405,443

PLATFORM SOLE Filed Jan. 25, 1945 Izz /erbium Patented Aug. 6, 1946UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

2,405,443 PLATFORM. SOLE Frank S. Mees, Swampscott, Mass.

Application January 25, 1945, Serial No. 574,449

Claims. (Cl. 36-30) This invention consists in a new and improvedplatform sole, or rather a combined. platform and insole since itfulfills the function of both of these soles in the manufacture of shoesof the platform type.

The object of the invention is to provide a platform sole unit that maybe constructed in the stock fitting room and brought to the making roomcomplete andv ready to be incorporated in the shoe with no loss of time.Furthermore, the sole of my invention is flexible in the forepart whereit should be flexible for the comfort of the wearer and stiff in theshank where stiffness is required for maintaining the fine lines of theshoe. Many platform shoes have had a bulky cumbersome appearanceheretofore. The sole unit herein disclosed has a composite shank ofslim, smooth curvature although including a steel shank stiffener whichgives it adequate rigidity. By employing the platform sole unit of myinvention, therefore, it is possible to construct a platform shoe havingthe characteristic platform appearance in its forepartbut still.retaining the more graceful lines imparted to a shoe by a close fittingshank.

With these ends in view, the insole unit of my invention ischaracterized by a full length ply of thin fibrous materialv having athick resilient platform ply co-extensive with its forepart and taperingrearwardly to a feather edge located in the shank of the unit. Bothplies are apertured and contain a resilient plug which is exposed inboth surfaces of the forepart of the unit, and at least the platform plyof the unit is transversely slashed so that it is rendered extremelyflexible although of substantial thickness. In general it is desirableto slash the forepart of the innersole through its face which islowermost or outermost in the finished shoe, and in some instances theslashes will therefore be found to extend through the fibrous ply andsubstantially half way into the thick resilient ply of the platform.However, the location and arrangement of the slashes is of secondaryimportance so long as they impart the desired flexibility to theforepart of the unit.

As herein shown, the shank portion of the unit is built up by locating asteel shank stiffener upon the thin fibrous layer with the forward endof the stiffener extending beneath or overlapping the feather edge ofthe platform ply and then enclosing both the thin fibrous ply and theshank stiffener between fibre shank pieces. In this Way I supply astiff, well-shaped shank and heel seat portion in the unit and make asmooth and secure union between the thin stiff shank portion and thethick flexible forepart portion of the unit.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a View in perspective showing the forepart of the unit in apreliminary stage of its construction,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the forepart' of the unit as completed,and

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a complete unit shown in invertedposition.

In preparing the platform sole unit herein illustrated I first select afull length block insole 2 of thin fibrous material :such as that,for-example, known to the industry as Darex, and when this material isused I prefer to employ a hard fibre section 53 for the tip of the sole.The composite Darex sheet may be 2 to 4 irons in thickness or the insolemay be of split leather or of any convenient fibrous material. To oneface of the block insole I secure a thick resilient platform ply l5which may be of cork and rubber composition, felt or other suitableflexible material available in the market. The ply ill is beveled at itsrear end in a section H to a feather edge which is located in the shankportion of the unit as shown in Fig. 1.

The two plies it and i2 may now he died out in the contour desired forthe shoes to bemanufactured and this may be done conveniently by meansof dies available. for that purpose. At the same time or as a separateoperation, a large aperture, for example, a circular perforation I4,maybe cut out in the center of the forepart and this may be supplementedby a series of smaller circumferentially arranged perforations It. Itwill be understood that these perforations extend completely throughboth. plies of the forepart. In the same or in a subsequent operationtransverse slashes are formed in the platform ply l0. As suggested inFig. 3, these slashes extend from side to side, passing through thefibrous ply l3 and substantially into the platform ply l0. Certain ofthe slashes intersect the aperture l4 and the combined effect of theaperture and slashes is to render the forepart of the unit extremelyflexible so that the platform does not feel stiff under the foot of thewearer. If it is not desired to slash the fibrous ply l2, the platformply Ill may be slashed before it is assembled with the fibrous ply l2.

The shank portion of the unit may be constructed by placing a curvedsteel shank stiffener l8 upon the shank portion of the fibrous ply l2,anchoring it in position by a rivet at its rear end, and then coveringthe shank stiffener by a fibre shank piece i9 which may be secured inplace by staples 20 at its forward end and by being cemented inface-to-face contact with the fibrous ply 12. Finally a second fibreshank piece 2! is cemented to the opposite face of the fibrous ply l2being extended to overlap the skived or beveled section of the platformply [0. The shank piece [9 similarly extends forwardly to a positionunderlying the section H of the platform ply and the staples 20constitute positive connection supplementing the cemented union formedbetween the shank and forepart of the unit through the medium of thefull length fibrous ply l2.-

It will be seen that the completely formed platform sole unit asillustrated in Fig. 3 may be placed directly on the last bottom andemployed as a combined insole and platform sole in making a shoe upon alast, or it may be stitched directly to the upper and binding strip of ashoe made off the last by the so-calledCalifornia process. In eithercase the sole is a complete unit which may be incorporated in itsfinished condition into the shoe structure by the usual shoemaking stepsgenerally carried out in commercial manufacture.

The circular perforation 14 which extends through both the plies I andI2 is filled with a circular plug ll of resilient material such, forexample, as sponge rubber. This may be cemented about itscircumferential wall and inserted at any convenient time in themanufacture of the platform unit. It increases the cushion effect of thesole and the comfort of the shoe in wear.

The platform sole unit above described may be employed with particularadvantage in manufacturing a shoe lasted on the last. When so used theunit is tacked to the last bottom and the upper lasted over the fibrousply l2. The platform ply is finished about its edges by a suitablebinding strip and will appear through the upper of an open toe shoe orsandal. Ordinarily a somewhat thinner platform ply will be used inmaking shoes in which the platform is to be located within the upper. Inemploying the'sole unit of my invention in shoes made by the so-calledCalifornia process, a thicker platform ply may be used and the upperlasted by stitching to the margin of the platform ply. In shoes made bythis process it will be understood that the platform lies wholly outsidethe upper.

While I have shown the fibrous ply [2 as located beneath the platformply Ill, when the composite sole is incorporated in a shoe under certainconditions it may be desirable to reverse the position of these twoplies and such modification of the illustrated construction is withinthe scope of the present invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail anillustrative embodiment v4 thereof, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A platform sole unit comprising a full-length ply of thin fibrousmaterial, a thick platform ply of resilient composition co-extensivewith the forepart of the fibrous ply and beveled to a feather edge inthe shank of the sole, a curved steel shank stiffener located adjacentto the fibrous ply and extending forwardly beneath the feather edge ofthe platform ply, and stiff fibre shank pieces enclosing the shank andheel-seat portions of the fibrous ply and the said steel shankstifiener.

2. A platform sole unit comprising a thin fibrous ply having a stiff tipsection and being otherwise flexible throughout its length, a thickresilient platform ply co-extensive with the forepart of the fibrous plyand tapering rearwardly to a feather edge located in the shank of theunit, the said plies being apertured and containing a resilient plugwhich is exposed in both surfaces of the forepart of the unit, and bothof said plies being transversely slashed in the forepart by slashesintersecting the aperture therein.

3. A platform sole unit comprising an integral ply extendingcontinuously from the tip to the heel-seat, a thick platform ply ofresilient composition co-extensive with the forepart of the fibrous ply,beveled at its rear edge and transversely slashed in a plurality ofslashes in ad- Vance of the ball line, a curved steel shank stiffenersecured in face-to-face contact with the fibrous ply throughout itsshank portion and on the face opposite to the platform ply, and stifffibre shank pieces enclosing the shank stiffener on one side andoverlapping the beveled portion of the platform ply on the other side ofthe unit.

4. A platform sole unit comprising a continuous fibrous ply extendingfrom the tip to the heel-seat, a thick platform ply of resilientcomposition cemented to the forepart of the fibrous ply and taperingrearwardly into the shank portion thereof, a cushion insert filling apredetermined area in the forepart of both plies, the platform ply beingtransversely slashed by slashes terminating at the periphery of saidinsert, and a stiff fibre shank piece cemented to the heelseat and shankportions of the fibrous ply and overlapping the rear end of the platformply.

5. An insole unit of the platform type, comprising a full length ply oftough insole material approximately 2 to 4 irons in thickness, aflexible platform ply of substantially greater thickness cemented inface-to-face contact to the forepart of the full length ply and having arearwardly tapering section which terminates at the forward end of itsshank, both of said plies having aligned apertures in their forepartsand slashes which extend into both plies, and a cushion plug retained insaid apertures, the insole unit thus presenting a cushion forepart ofsubstantial thickness and a thin shank and heelseat portion.

. FRANK S. MEES.

